Provided is a liquid crystal aligning agent composition including a urea-based compound that contains two or more urea functional groups and has a structure in which a hydroxyalkyl group is substituted for a terminal amino group of a urea functional group, together with polyimide and its precursor polymer.

Soft-imprint alignment processes for patterning liquid crystal polymer layers via contact with a reusable alignment template are described herein. An example soft-imprint alignment process includes contacting a liquid crystal polymer layer with a reusable alignment template that has a desired surface alignment pattern such that the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal polymer are aligned to the surface alignment pattern via chemical, steric, or other intermolecular interaction. The patterned liquid crystal polymer layer may then be polymerized and separated from the reusable alignment template. The process can be repeated many times. The reusable alignment template may include a photo-alignment layer that does not comprise surface relief structures that correspond to the surface alignment pattern and a release layer above this photo-alignment layer. A reusable alignment template and methods of fabricating the same are also disclosed.

A liquid crystal display device having an outer shape of a display region formed other than a rectangle. A driver for supplying a video signal is disposed outside the display region. A selector with selector TFT is disposed between the display region and the driver. A video signal line is disposed between the driver and the selector, and a drain line is disposed between the selector and the display region. A scanning circuit for supplying a scanning signal to the scanning line is disposed outside the display region. The selector is disposed between the scanning line and the display region, and covered with ITO as the common electrode. The common bus wiring is disposed outside the selector.

A method of coating a polyimide film and a method of fabricating a display panel are provided by the embodiments of the present invention. The method of coating a polyimide film includes providing a glass substrate and at least one nozzle; forming a nanomaterial filled graphic letterpress on the glass substrate, wherein the nanomaterial filled graphic letterpress is formed with a plurality of protrusions; and spraying a polyimide liquid on the nanomaterial filled graphic letterpress by the at least one nozzle to form a polyimide film.

A transmittance-variable layer and a transmittance-variable device including the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a transmittance-variable device includes a polarization layer and a transmittance-variable layer disposed on the polarization layer, wherein the transmittance-variable layer includes a first base layer disposed on the polarization layer and a spacer fixed on a surface of the first base layer opposite to the polarization layer, and a second base layer facing the first base layer and spaced apart from the first base layer by the first spacer, wherein the first spacer maintains a gap between the first and second base layers, and a first light modulating material disposed in the gap.

A method for aligning molecular orientations of liquid crystals and/or polymeric materials into spatially variant patterns uses metamasks. When non-polarized or circularly polarized light is transmitted through or reflected by the metamasks, spatially varied polarization direction and intensity patterns of light can be generated. By projecting the optical patterns of the metamasks onto substrates coated with photoalignment materials, spatially variant molecular orientations encoded in the polarization and intensity patterns are induced in the photoalignment materials, and transfer into the liquid crystals. Possible designs for the metamask use nanostructures of metallic materials (e.g., rectangular nanocuboids of metallic materials arrayed on a transparent substrate).

A liquid crystal display device having an outer shape of a display region formed other than a rectangle. A driver for supplying a video signal is disposed outside the display region. A selector with selector TFT is disposed between the display region and the driver. A video signal line is disposed between the driver and the selector, and a drain line is disposed between the selector and the display region. A scanning circuit for supplying a scanning signal to the scanning line is disposed outside the display region. The selector is disposed between the scanning line and the display region, and covered with ITO as the common electrode. The common bus wiring is disposed outside the selector.

A substrate on which a specific type spacer is formed, a substrate comprising an alignment film formed on the spacer, and an optical device using such a substrate are disclosed herein. By controlling the shape of the spacer formed on the substrate, even when the alignment film is formed on the top of the spacer and the orientation treatment is performed, the uniform orientation treatment can be performed without any influence by the step or the like of the spacer, whereby a substrate or the like capable of providing a device having excellent optical performance can be provided.

A liquid crystal apparatus includes a first pixel electrode in a display region, and a second pixel electrode and a circuit such as a scan line driving circuit outside the display region. A TFT provided corresponding to the second pixel electrode is separated from the circuit, and the second pixel electrode extends to the region that overlaps the circuit.

This liquid crystal display device has a plurality of pixels. Each pixel in the plurality of pixels includes first to fourth alignment regions; these first to fourth alignment regions are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the pixels, and the difference between any two alignment orientations in the first to fourth alignment regions is approximately equal to an integer multiple of 90 degrees. Of the pre-tilt angles defined by a first alignment film and a second alignment film in each of the first to fourth alignment regions, one pre-tilt angle is less than 90 degrees and the other pre-tilt angle is substantially 90 degrees. The optical alignment film is formed using a polymer having an optical alignment group in the side chain, and the content of the optical alignment group in the side chain of the polymer is less than 1.1 mmol/g.